BIM Tips: How to Fully Uninstall Autodesk Software on a Mac

Question:

How can I completely uninstall Autodesk programs on a Mac?

Solution:

AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT

To uninstall AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT, please use the dedicated Remove AutoCAD20xx application provided for the version you have installed.

Multiple Products

If you have several Autodesk products installed, the following process will remove all of them.

If you need to follow these steps, first uninstall all Autodesk programs by right-clicking each application and selecting Move to Trash.

Other Autodesk Programs

For uninstalling versions 2020 or later, you must first stop the Autodesk licensing service:

1. Open the Terminal application.
2. Enter the following command to stop the licensing service:
   launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.autodesk.AdskLicensingService.plist

Next, use the following terminal commands to delete any remaining files and folders after uninstalling the product:

Warning: Use the rm -rf command with great caution. It permanently deletes files and cannot be undone.

1. sudo rm -rf /Users/<Username>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk* (Removes Autodesk background services files)
2. sudo rm -rf /Users/<Username>/Library/Logs/Autodesk* (Deletes Autodesk service log files)
3. sudo rm -rf /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.autodesk.* (Removes Autodesk background programs)
4. sudo rm -rf /Library/Application Support/Autodesk* (Deletes Autodesk application data)
5. sudo rm -rf /Applications/Autodesk (Removes Autodesk program shortcuts)
6. sudo pkgutil --pkgs | grep iautodesk | xargs -n1 pkgutil --forget (Removes residual Autodesk product packages)

Note: If the above command fails, you may need to enable the macOS root user and run the command as root:

1. Enable the macOS root user.
2. Open Terminal and type su.
3. Enter the root password (characters will not be displayed).
4. Run the command:
   pkgutil --pkgs | grep iautodesk | xargs -n1 pkgutil --forget
5. Type exit to leave the root user session.

xuebim

Follow the latest BIM developments in the architecture industry, explore innovative building technologies, and discover cutting-edge industry insights.

← Scan with WeChat